Brighter Bristol: DIY SOS

We are a group of ordinary people, hoping to make an extraordinary difference in the homes and lives of families, individuals and communities in Bristol.

We send groups of volunteers to make over gardens and small interior projects that need a little bit of TLC. Cleaning, gardening, painting or basic DIY projects go some way in brightening up someone’s day, whose personal circumstances make it hard to keep on top of home maintenance. As enthusiastic amateurs, whilst our skills and budget are limited, we aim to do what we can to a high enough standard that everyone is delighted with the end result.

Past projects have included large scale re-painting of a school library in Knowle, classrooms in a school in Easton and redecorating a community centre in Speedwell; to smaller scale projects like repainting a new baby’s bedroom, putting together furniture for a refugee family new to Bristol, hanging wallpaper in a living room to chopping down trees, bushes and mini jungles in back gardens!

If you are a health care professional, social worker or community worker and feel that we could be of assistance to someone you support, please complete the online referral form. Please be aware that we operate on a priority system in which we will allocate our services depending on need. 

Following this, we will arrange to visit the property to assess the requested job and carry out a risk assessment. Here we are trying to get a feel for costs and scale in terms of time and skills needed. If we are able to meet the needs of the job at hand, we will then organise a team and set a date. Since volunteers are normally busy during weekday hours, many projects take place at weekends or in the evenings. 

Contact Chris & Emma Simmonds:
Email emma.simmonds@severnvineyard.org for more information.